Georgia | English Language through Civic Education | 20 Oct 2012

ELCE Participant Teacher Inga Gelashvili from Rustavi Public School #4 took the ELCE topic of Democratic Institutions and expanded it to help with her school’s student, self-government elections.

On October 20, students of Rustavi Public School #4 had to elect one member per class for the school’s student council. Inga divided her students into three groups and gave them time to think, decide and name their candidates. Students had to write at least three support reasons to convince others about worthiness of their candidate. Each group had to present their candidates and the candidates had to make a speech (all in English). After the presentations, students elected three people to hand out ballots before the voting and then count the ballots after voting was over. Once ballots were completed, the students waited in line to enter the promptly mounted voting booth and throw their ballots into the ballot box. Ballots were counted and the class welcomed their democratically elected member of school self-government.

Similar process was executed in other classes at the school and by the end of the day, Rustavi Public School # 4 had its Student Council elected.

“Students were very excited to vote and put what they learned through the ELCE materials on Democratic Institutions into practice" said Inga Gelashvili, English Language teacher at Rustavi Public School #4. “The fact that it was not a role-play but a real thing was the biggest thrill for them. They felt responsibility and they took it seriously. They felt their vote counted and it gave them a real life experience of what democracy stands for. I do not believe there is one student in my class, who will not take the civic responsibility of voting seriously in the future”, she concluded.